Purchase boosts Mott presence Down Under

Engineering, management and development consultant Mott MacDonald has expanded its operations in Australia having bought independent employee-owned Sydney and Canberra-based consultant Hughes Trueman. The company has also opened offices in Adelaide and Melbourne.

The acquisition and new offices mean that Mott MacDonald now has a base in Australia from where it can expand across the Australasian region. They add significantly to the group’s extensive network of offices throughout the Asia Pacific Region.
Hughes Trueman specialises in civil infrastructure including urban development and public infrastructure – water, sewerage, stormwater, roads – plus buildings and services such as structural, hydraulic and fire design for commercial, industrial, residential and institutional buildings. It has provided engineering services in south-east Australia for more than 50 years, and now has 150 staff in four offices across New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory.
Peter Wickens, Mott MacDonald’s group chairman is very enthusiastic about Mott MacDonald’s decision to set up a formal operation in Australia.
He said: “Bringing Hughes Trueman into the group and opening additional offices in Melbourne and Adelaide supports our plans to have a presence in all significant parts of the world.
“Currently we do not have a major presence in Australia so this latest move will give us a foothold into this region and will help us grow a local business comprising a large majority of Australian nationals, and supported by our international skills and resources.”
Mott MacDonald has a long association with Australia going back more than 40 years. The company’s early portfolio there includes involvement in strategic infrastructure such as Sydney Water’s MacArthur Water Filtration Plant, Melbourne Underground Rail Loop, and Sydney Harbour Tunnel.
The group is working on a range of developments in water, health and transportation, including Melbourne’s proposed new metro system.